Cleostratus (crater)
Encyclopedia
Cleostratus is a lunar
crater
near the northwest limb of the Moon
. It lies to the northeast of the crater Xenophanes
, and west-southwest of the prominent Pythagoras
. From the Earth
this crater appears highly elongated due to foreshortening.
The rim of this crater has become soft-shouldered due to steady impact erosion, and the formation is now just a depression in the surface surrounded by an eroded rise. A pair of small craters lie across the southwest rim, forming part of a short chain of craters leading to the west. Along the crest of the southern rim is a linear ridge. The satellite crater Cleostratus E is attached to the northwest rim, and intrudes slightly into the inner wall. The interior floor of this crater is flat and nearly featureless, having only a few tiny craterlets marking the surface.
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
crater
Impact crater
In the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with a larger body...
near the northwest limb of the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
. It lies to the northeast of the crater Xenophanes
Xenophanes (crater)
Xenophanes is a lunar crater that is located along the northwestern limb of the Moon. It is nearly attached to Volta, a similar formation to the south-southwest. To the northeast is the smaller crater Cleostratus...
, and west-southwest of the prominent Pythagoras
Pythagoras (crater)
Pythagoras is a prominent impact crater located near the northwestern lunar limb. It lies just to the northwest of the somewhat larger Babbage. The crater has an oval appearance due to the oblique viewing angle...
. From the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
this crater appears highly elongated due to foreshortening.
The rim of this crater has become soft-shouldered due to steady impact erosion, and the formation is now just a depression in the surface surrounded by an eroded rise. A pair of small craters lie across the southwest rim, forming part of a short chain of craters leading to the west. Along the crest of the southern rim is a linear ridge. The satellite crater Cleostratus E is attached to the northwest rim, and intrudes slightly into the inner wall. The interior floor of this crater is flat and nearly featureless, having only a few tiny craterlets marking the surface.
Satellite craters
By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater mid-point that is closest to Cleostratus.| Cleostratus | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 62.7° N | 77.3° W | 35 km |
| E | 60.9° N | 79.6° W | 21 km |
| F | 61.5° N | 80.4° W | 50 km |
| H | 61.2° N | 81.9° W | 13 km |
| J | 61.3° N | 83.8° W | 20 km |
| K | 62.0° N | 81.1° W | 17 km |
| L | 62.2° N | 79.3° W | 11 km |
| M | 61.5° N | 74.9° W | 9 km |
| N | 60.6° N | 73.1° W | 4 km |
| P | 59.6° N | 72.9° W | 7 km |
| R | 58.9° N | 72.9° W | 6 km |